


Celebrate the Love

by belovedplank



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: AU, Birthday, Birthday Party, Birthday Presents, Fluff, Get Together, M/M, Singing, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-24
Updated: 2012-07-24
Packaged: 2017-11-10 15:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/467707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belovedplank/pseuds/belovedplank
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jared wants an excuse to do something nice for Jensen. Being Jared, he goes a little overboard</p>
            </blockquote>





	Celebrate the Love

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: I’ve taken a little artistic license in respect of timelines – I’ve made mention to a few things that have actually canonically happened, but kinda lumped them all together within a reasonably short period. This is kind evident within the first paragraph! (Also, I invented the idea that Jared’s Dad had angina)  
> Also; as far as I am aware, Jared cannot play the piano  
> Warning 2: uber sappy, and probably rather OOC, so apologies in advance! (my first ever J2!)  
> Note: The song in the fic is ‘To Make You Feel My Love’ sang by many people (including Garth Brooks and Ronan Keating) but most recently by Adele. That part of the fic will probably make more sense if you have heard the song!

 

Jared wanted to do something special for Jensen. Between the Writer’s Strike, his break-up with Sandy, his dad’s heart attack and Kim’s passing... it had been a lot of not-good things  to happen within a short period of time; more than the happy, perpetually optimistic puppy-like man-boy  had previously been used to. And Jared knew that he wouldn’t have weathered the storm anywhere near as well as he had, if it hadn’t been for Jensen.

 

As he continued his usual morning routine with the dogs, he went over the next few months in his head, to see if there was any excuse for a celebration, or just some excuse to do something nice for his best friend. He was nearly home, still going through his diary in his head, when he suddenly stopped short, surprising Harley and Sadie. As they trotted back to their master and looked up at him inquisitively, he grinned and whispered ‘of course’. Looking down after a moment, he transferred his grin to his babies. Kneeling down to pet them both, he said, “Jen deserves something good doesn’t he? And I’ll make sure he gets it.”

 

Jared knew that it was keeping his plan from Jensen that was going to be the problem. Even though he is an actor, Jensen is the one person who has always been able to see right through him, and it was very rare he managed to keep secrets from him. But Jared was adamant he would do so, because he would do anything for Jensen, especially if it made him happy.

 

*****

 

As time passed, and Jared cemented his plans, he couldn’t help feeling pleased with himself. He’d already made arrangements with the Supernatural crew to get them the weekend of Jensen’s birthday off; even going so far as to invite them all to the party he had organised. Everyone was surprised he’d managed to keep it from Jensen, and Jared was sure there was a pool going on. But they didn’t know half of the trouble he had gone to.

 

He had gotten in touch with Chris and Steve; and managed to persuade them not only to come up to Vancouver, but to actually be the entertainment. Between them and Jason, the music was sorted, and Jared knew how much them being there would mean to Jensen. He’d booked the whole bar for the party, and arranged everything – although he would admit to having gotten help from a few of the PAs in making arrangements without Jensen getting wind of anything. And that wasn’t all; he had gotten in touch with Jensen’s family  and they were now coming up too, staying in the best hotel in the city at Jared’s expense (although they wouldn’t be aware of that until they tried to pay the bill). And yet, Jared felt like he needed to do something else. Jensen was the most important person in the world to him, and although Jensen didn’t know the depth of Jared’s feelings, Jared felt that Jensen deserved to know how important he was to so many people; especially Jared. Jared couldn’t just say it, not without revealing his feelings for Jensen to him and the rest of the world. But Jared wanted to do _something_ ; something apart from the party. He’d no idea what, though.

 

Jared knew he needed to think about it away from Jensen, and he also knew where he did his best thinking.  One day on the set during a Dean and Castiel scene, Jared quietly told the director where he was going and snuck off. Closing the door of the otherwise unused room, Jared sat himself at the old piano and let his hands move over the keys as he continued to think.

 

You see, Jared’s parents had wanted to ensure that their children were well-rounded, encouraging them all in both music and sport as well as in their education. Their eldest son had taken guitar lessons for several years before football took precedence. And Megan had taken singing lessons until the two hours a week cut too much into her social life. But Jared, for all he that couldn’t hold a note in a bucket, had loved his music, finding the piano soothing; calming to his somewhat hyperactive mind in a way that few things were.  Unlike his siblings, Jared never gave up playing. The only reason he didn’t have a piano of his own was that he had sworn he would only buy _one_ , and he didn’t want to buy it until he had the place he knew was going to be his permanent home. Instead, he settled for a full-size keyboard in a corner of his gym which had the added bonus of letting as few people know as possible. Jared wasn’t ashamed exactly, but especially after becoming friends with talented musicians like Chris, Steve, and Jason, he _was_ a little embarrassed. A few of the higher-ups amongst the Supernatural staff knew –more out of necessity than anything (given that Jared occasionally snuck off to play when he needed to calm down or to think), but the only nonessential person who knew was, of course, Jensen. So Jared wasn’t really surprised when Jensen was usually the one sent to retrieve him.

 

As such, he was broken from his thoughts when he registered that someone was singing along with what he was playing. Jared only realized what he was actually playing when he heard the quietly melodious sound of his best friend singing along: _“And I_ _’m getting closer than I ever thought I might!”_

 

Allowing the music to fade, Jared turned his attention to the doorway, and the casual vision of perfection that was his best friend leaning against the frame.

 

“You having Season Two flashbacks, Jay? Or just reminiscing?”

 

 “Dean singing REO was just weird, but I love the song!” Jared replied with a smile. “You sing it better than Dean, though!”

 

Jared took a moment to enjoy the flush that came over Jensen’s face at his offhand remark. Some people had the impression that Jensen was a bit of an arrogant diva because he tended to avoid the press as much as possible, but Jared knew the truth. For all that his best friend was an outstanding actor; he was also extremely modest, even a little insecure, and actually incredibly shy. So Jared tried to compliment him about the little things, especially his music. Even Jensen acknowledged that he wouldn’t be where he was now if he couldn’t act (although Jared knew that he had occasional lapses of insecurity that his looks played too big a role in his current TV star status), but he could be very self-deprecating when it came to his music, especially his singing. Jared loved Jensen’s voice though, pointing it out enviously and often, because Jared loved music, but couldn’t sing to save his life.

 

Jensen shook off his embarrassment and flashed a little grin at his friend as he stood from the piano. “Well then, you’ll be happy to know that there isn’t any singing in Dean’s immediate future. There’s a fight scene that we need Sam for though, so you wanna come with me and do what you’re getting paid to do?”

 

Jared bounced up from his seat and made his way over to his friend. About to shove him out of the way, he stopped when Jensen laid a hand on his arm.

 

“You okay, Jay? I mean...” Jensen nodded in the direction of the piano, his expression finishing his sentence for him: “You usually only sneak off when something’s up.”

 

Jared patted the hand currently resting on his arm and shook his head. “I’m fine Jen; I just had the song stuck in my head, and I wanted somewhere quiet to think.”

 

Jensen grinned cheekily as he quipped “Hope you didn’t hurt yourself!” before he took off at a jog. The jog quickly increased to an all-out run as his longer-legged co-star shouted “Bastard! You Better run!” and started after him.

.........

  
As he walked back to their trailers with Jensen at the end of the day, Jared’s thoughts returned to his music. He wondered if he could find a song to play for Jensen’s birthday, one that would tell Jensen how important he was to Jared.

 

He discovered the perfect song that night while kicking back with Jensen in the very bar he’d booked for the party.

 

The two of them were sitting there with a few beers, comfortable in each others company, when Jensen started humming along to the music playing in the background. Jared recognized the tune as one his mother listened to, but he couldn’t think of the name until Jensen stopped merely humming and began singing quietly:

_When the evening shadows and the stars appear  
And there is no one there to dry your tears  
I could hold you for a million years  
To make you feel my love_

 

Blushing slightly as he realized he was singing aloud and that Jared was listening so intently, Jensen looked down at the table for a moment before informing Jared that it was actually one of his favourite songs, quickly adding that if Jared told anyone, he would tell the whole crew that Jared slept with the cuddly toy version of Sadie that Jensen had gotten him last time he broke his wrist.

 

Laughing at his older friend, Jared said “Garth Brooks, Jen? My momma listens to this song! I mean, with some of the stuff I listen to, I really can’t judge  but if you’re gonna make a threat like that, your secret’s safe.”

 

Jensen grinned before draining his bottle. “Next round’s on me”.

 

Jared was aware that it was a love song, but as he wasn’t actually singing, he didn’t focus so much on the words and didn’t really think of how the meaning of the song might be misinterpreted (correctly so, in terms of his feelings for Jensen, but expressing his love was not his intent). He’d only actually registered a few of the lines; ones that made him think about his friendship with Jensen, feelings he thought Jensen knew and returned in a totally platonic fashion.

 

  _“When the whole word is on your case/ I will offer you a warm embrace”_ resonated with him because it was true; although in Jared’s case, he was a naturally affectionate person and would often offer hugs regardless of the state of mind of the huggee especially if it was Jensen. But he wholeheartedly stood by the sentiment of the phrase; and knew that even though Jensen was not so affectionate himself, Jensen never shied away from his hugs and would always offer one of his own if he thought Jared needed it.

 

Even more so  were the lines _“I've known it from the moment that we met/ No doubt in my mind where you belong”_ Jared had expressed a similar emotion before in interviews; describing how they had clicked straight away, and how from the day he met Jensen he had known that they were going to be great friends.

 

And he was sure that everyone was aware that Jensen was one of his best friends; although Jared honestly believed that no-one was aware that his feelings for Jensen beyond that, he was sure that everyone who knew him also knew that he would protect his friends.   _“I know there's nothing that I wouldn't do/ Go to the ends of the earth for you_ ”.

 

Jared’s main goal was to do a special thing for Jensen; being able to tell everyone that this was one of his favourite songs (and thereby embarrass the heck out of him) would just be an added bonus.  Because he thought the rest of the world were totally unaware of the depth of his feelings for Jensen, the idea that people would consider his performing a love song for Jensen to be a declaration of his feelings never even crossed his mind.

 

In the following weeks, Jared started to teach himself the song, getting up 30 minutes earlier than normal every morning to get in some practice so that Jensen wouldn’t catch him. He even got in touch with Chris and Steve, letting them in on what he wanted to do and checking they were okay with him crashing their gig. They laughed their asses off, but were eventually supportive.

 

 Chris stopped him before he could hang up. “Padalecki? Thanks.”

  
“For what?”

  
“For looking out for him. He doesn’t realize how important he is to so many people, and he deserves to know. You’re good for him.”

  
“Thanks Chris. Means a lot coming from you. I’ll see you in a few weeks.”

 

*****

 

Jensen’s actual birthday was in the middle of the week, so they had to work. But Jensen couldn’t complain; as it happened that they had next Monday off, giving them the whole weekend to celebrate. What Jensen didn’t know was that Jared had spent several months organizing it that way so that Jensen would be able to spend some time with his family after the party _or_ that Jared had both persuaded and paid for his family to come up to Vancouver.

 

Actually, Jensen couldn’t complain about a majority of things that occurred on his birthday.

 

 

He was woken up by the distinctive aroma of his favourite Columbian hazelnut coffee. When he stumbled into the kitchen, a giant cup was placed in his waiting hands before he was guided to the table; where a full Texas breakfast sat waiting for him.

 

Once Jensen had inhaled that first cup, Jared leaned over to pour him another and announced quietly: “Happy Birthday, Jen.”

 

Taking another mouthful, Jensen smiled fondly at his roommate, swallowing before he responded. “Awesome Jay. This is awesome.”

 

One thing Jensen _could_ complain about was the fuss being made, particularly the cake and everyone singing “Happy Birthday” at lunchtime, which was a bit much for him. But he knew they only did it because they cared; and when he saw how happy Jared was, he could only shake his head and smile.

 

Once they had wrapped for the day, Jared only gave Jensen enough time to shower and change before leading him out to his truck in order to take him to his favourite Vancouver steakhouse for a birthday meal, just the two of them.

 

After all the fuss and attention on him that day, Jensen appreciated the chance to relax with his best friend. The night was a little different from the many other nights they had spent in the same restaurant, just the two of them. Jen had noticed that they seemed to have been given a more secluded table, but figured that was because of a 21st birthday party taking up most of the main restaurant. Jen was quite glad to be out of the way on the off-chance that they were recognized; it was his birthday, and he just wanted to enjoy his time with Jared without interruptions.

 

Jensen did wonder whether Jared would give him his present during the meal. Jensen wasn’t being greedy in assuming that Jared would have gotten him something, despite all the fuss he’d already made. Jensen knew how generous his best friend was, and that Jared actually enjoyed buying presents for other people; he loved to see the looks on their faces when they opened their gifts. And with Jensen, that enjoyment always seemed to be magnified; Jared always bought the perfect gift.

 

But Jared was signing the bill, and still no present. Jensen shook himself out of his thoughts and decided to forget about it. It was quite late by the time they left the steakhouse; given that they had an 8AM shoot the next morning, they would have to go straight to bed when they got home.

 

When they got back to the house, though, Jared asked Jensen to let the dogs out and disappeared off down the hall; Jensen assumed to go to the bathroom. When his friend joined him on the porch a few minutes later, they stood side by side for a moment, watching the dogs dash around, before Jared whistled them back in. But before Jared could move from his side, Jensen put a hand on his arm and turned to face him fully. “Thanks Jay. I had a really awesome day.”

 

Jared responded by bouncing slightly and grinning widely, Jensen couldn’t help but smile back and hug him. “You’re the best Jay”.

 

Jared was quick to reciprocate, wrapping his arms around Jensen’s smaller frame and pulling him in, burying his face in Jensen’s hair. They simply stood there for a few moments, each totally content in the others arms. Their embrace was broken when Harley barked and ran into Jared’s legs. It was only Jensen’s grip that kept him from toppling over, after which the two men walked back into the house behind the dogs, chuckling at Harley’s antics.

 

*****

 

Jensen walked out of the bathroom into his bedroom yawning widely, when he noticed a box on his pillow. Quickly retrieving his glasses from the bedside, he clambered onto the bed with the box in hand; as soon as he saw it, he knew that Jared hadn’t gone to the bathroom when they’d gotten back. He wondered what the gift was; if Jared was too nervous to watch him open it, it had to be something he wasn’t sure Jensen would like.

 

Jensen however, had no such compunction. He knew he would love it for no other reason than it had come from Jared, so he flung the ribbon aside and opened the box. He gasped when he saw what it was; he couldn’t believe Jared remembered.

 

During second season, Jared and Jensen had been in LA doing some promotion work and taken a rare break to wander around. As they walked down the strip, laughing and joking, a watch had caught Jensen’s eye. Jensen had pulled Jared over and showed it to him, explaining that although it was a designer watch, the style was unbelievably similar to the one Jensen could recall his grandfather having when he was a child. Jensen brushed Jared off quickly when he suggested they go in and buy it; dismissing it as far too extravagant to buy for no reason, and they’d continued on their way.

 

As Jensen removed the watch reverently from the box, his breath catching when he noticed the inscription.

 

_JEN, BFF. JARED_

Jensen smiled fondly as he ran his fingers over the letters. Placing the watch carefully back into its box and putting it on his bedside table, Jensen took his glasses of before making his way down the hall and up the stairs.

 

He knew that Jared was probably already asleep, but he had to make sure that Jared knew just how much the present meant to him - although he was still going to kick Jared’s ass tomorrow for the amount of money he must have spent.

 

As he stood in the doorway of Jared’s room, he looked at him for a moment; transfixed at the sight of his huge best friend looking so small and innocent, cuddled up with his cuddly toy Sadie.  With a sigh, he walked over to the bed, looking down at a man that so many people underestimated. A man Jensen was so thankful was in his life. Knowing he would never dare do this if Jared were awake, he brushed the bangs from Jared’s face, kissing him softly on the forehead with a whispered “Thanks man. I love it.”

 

He couldn’t help but smile in response to the smile that appeared on Jared’s sleeping face at his touch.

 

Jensen was still smiling when he got into his own bed, the weight of the watch on his wrist a warm reminder as he drifted to sleep.

 

*****

 

Jared woke up at 4AM as always, and was already out of bed and walking towards the bedroom door when he noticed that it was completely shut. Jared never shut his bedroom door; always leaving it open slightly in case one of his babies wanted to come in during the night.

 

The sight of the shut door meant only one thing. Jensen had been in his room. That kiss on the forehead that he had thought was part of a dream had actually been real!

 

Smiling at the thought that his friend was too shy (and macho) to show such affection openly, his smile widened to a broad grin as he realised what Jensen’s night-time visit meant. Bouncing on the spot, he whispered “He liked it!” allowing himself a sappy moment before continuing to the door to ready himself for his run with the dogs.

 

By the time they returned, Jensen was already washed and dressed; although still yawning widely, as he stood in front of the coffee machine. He turned at the sound of Jared and the dogs coming towards him, and smiled. Jared’s answering smile widened when Jensen raised his cup to his lips; and Jared saw that he was wearing the watch.

 

Jared watched Jensen covertly over the course of the day (as he often did) and heard him tell anyone who asked about the watch that Jared had gotten it for him, smiling to himself every time he heard Jensen say it. But even more so, he smiled when he caught Jensen simply looking down at his watch fondly, and his heart flipped the one time he caught Jensen slipping a finger under the strap to trace over the engraving on the back. The happiness he saw in Jensen made him certain that he’d done the right thing in buying the watch; regardless as to the telling off Jensen had tried to give him about the amount of money he’d spent.

 

*****

 

Saturday rolled round quickly after that, and Jared had a fair few last –minute party details to deal with; to make sure that everything would be in place in time for him to bring the guest of honour.  He panicked for a moment about how he was going to deal with everything with Jensen hanging around, before he remembered; Mackenzie and Megan had pitched in together on a gift for Jensen, booking him a full day in a quality recording studio. He texted both girls to thank them for their forward thinking in getting Jensen out of the way.

 

Jensen was nervously excited at the thought of the studio awaiting him; as he was rather shy about playing and singing in front of anyone, and he had never been in music studio on his own before The few times he had been in such a studio, it had been with other musicians like Chris, Steve and Jason. Although his nerves would be unnoticeable to the majority of people (Jensen’s an actor after all) Jared was not most people, and he immediately spotted Jensen’s nervousness hidden beneath his usual need for caffeine. Passing him the cup of coffee he’d poured when he heard Jensen making his way down the hall, he smiled reassuringly.

 

“Jen, you’re gonna have a blast today. You’ll probably blow them all away and some producer will try to get you out of Supernatural to make you a star!”

 

Jensen raised a cynical brow, but he couldn’t help smiling at Jared flinging his arms out expressively as he spoke, chuckling when Jared pouted exaggeratedly at the idea of someone taking Jensen away.

 

Beaming at Jensen’s laugh, watching his nervousness fall away, Jared grabbed his own coffee and leaned against the counter as he added: “It was a great present Jen, perfect for you. I kinda wish I’d thought of it.”

 

Jensen raised his eyes to meet Jared’s, already shaking his head. Rubbing a thumb over the watch strapped to his wrist, as he immediately disagreed with Jared, Jensen looked down at his watch before adding softly; “You couldn’t have gotten me anything better Jay.”

 

There was a silence that after such a sappy comment, probably would have been awkward had it been anyone else. They simply sat together quiet and happy, eating breakfast.

 

Jensen gulped back the last of his coffee and took his bowl and cup to the sink before turning back to Jared. “I’d better get going. I’m gonna call the girls tomorrow to say thanks, but if you speak to Meg before then, will you tell her?”

 

“Course, now you go and enjoy yourself! And you better make sure you bring me a copy of whatever you end up with”

 

“Yeah, yeah. Later Jay!”

 

“I mean it!”

 

*****

 

Jared had planned everything meticulously, from the party itself to the surprise guests, from his clothes (he knew that Jensen would look smart, but he had actually gotten one of the wardrobe girls to pick his outfit, to avoid ending up in jeans and flip flops) to actually getting Jensen to the party. As his roommate and best friend, he dealt with the latter personally; parking his truck in the bar’s parking lot. He’d decided not to overdo it alcoholically speaking; not only did he want to remember this night (hoping for Jensen to do or say something embarrassing he could mock him about for the rest of forever), but he was going to play the piano in public for the first time since high school. He didn’t think that alcohol would help with that.

 

As they walked towards the entrance, Jensen glanced over at him. “Thanks Jay, for my birthday,” he said quietly. “For tonight. I really appreciate it.”

 

Jared grinned flung an arm over his shoulder as he replied: “It was nothing Jen.”

 

And with that, Jared pushed the bar door open and gestured Jensen in ahead of him.

 

They hadn’t taken more than two steps into the sparsely lit bar when the main lights suddenly came on, and a roomful of people bellowed “SURPRISE!”

 

Jared burst out laughing at the look of abject confusion on Jensen’s face. Jared was glad to see several camera flashes – he wanted a copy of Jensen’s expression on film! Jensen was just standing there, blinking as he tried to take it in. He seemed to be too confused to actually be embarrassed.

 

The large ‘Happy Birthday Jensen!’ banner should have enlightened him, but he only seemed to come out of his stupor when he recognized an older couple making their way towards him. “Mom? Dad?”

 

Jared was still chuckling as he waved at the people standing before them. “Hey Mama Ackles, Papa Ackles. The hotel ok?”

 

Before they could respond to either man, Jensen whipped round to face Jared, who quickly started backing away. “This-you...You fucker!”

 

Jared didn’t get very far, before Jensen launched himself at him in a full-body tackle that sent them both to the floor, ensuring that the attention of every person in the room was focused squarely on them.

 

Jared was outright giggling from underneath a grinning (but blushing) Jensen as he was subjected to a noogie before they returned to their feet. As they did so, Chris stepped up to the mike and announced “Right, now the guest of honour’s finally here, let’s get this party started!” He and Steve promptly launched into their first song.

 

Still blushing, Jensen returned his focus to his parents, hugging them as Jared bounced beside him. They explained that Josh hadn’t been able to come due to his heavily pregnant wife, but that they both sent their love and hoped he had a great night. They were abruptly interrupted by twin squeals as two young girls ran towards them, both making a beeline for Jensen. The blonder of the two got there first, launching herself into his arms.

 

“Mack?!”

 

“Happy Birthday big brother!” she cried, squealing as he spun her around.

 

Whilst that was going on, Jared had a shock of his own, as he realized who the other girl standing before him was. “Meg?!”

 

Megan Padalecki smiled at her brother and decided to spare him a hug while she waited for Mackenzie to let Jensen go. Launching herself into her own brothers arms, she giggled as she replied: “Of course I’m here! Mom and Dad might not have been able to make it, but I wouldn’t have missed this for the world!”

 

“You’re a star, sis” he said before releasing her to the birthday boy.

 

Leaving Jensen with his family, Jared went to the bar to get them some drinks. When he turned around, a bottle of beer in each hand, it was to find Donna Ackles right behind him. He jumped back slightly so as to avoid knocking her clear over, placing the bottles on the bar and opening his arms. “Hey, Momma Ackles, thanks for coming”

 

“As if we’d miss this! And Jared?”

 

The sudden seriousness in her voice had Jared stooping down somewhat closer to her level she continued: “Tomorrow, we’re going to have a serious talk about our hotel bill. But tonight, I just want to say thank you.” She kissed his cheek lightly. Blushing slightly, Jared stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels sheepishly. Luckily, Alan appeared beside his wife before anything else could be said, and Jared didn’t have a chance to do much more than shake his hand before Jensen reappeared beside him and smacked him on the arm.

 

“If you’re expecting me to talk to people all night, you better have got me a drink, Sasquatch.”

 

Grabbing their bottles from the bar, Jared passed Jensen’s to him with a smile. “Come on birthday boy, let’s go mingle.”

 

Jared was proud of the fact that Jensen really did take the time to talk to everyone (most of the time with Jared beside him) despite his shyness and usual reticence to so much attention. Jared was also proud of the turnout; not only were most of the Supernatural crew there, but even a few of the old Smallville crowd had shown up: Tom, Mike, Alison, and Kristen were all there.

 

But the best surprise for both boys had been the arrival of probably the only man outside of their own families who both Jared and Jensen would willingly call Dad. Although Jared had, of course, invited him, he’d been filming in Pittsburgh of all places, and wasn’t able to guarantee he’d be able to come up. When a large shadow came over them and a deep baritone voice said “How’re my boys doing?” they both spun round with identical expressions of happy surprise.

 

Jared shouted “Pops!” and flung his arms around Jeff, lifting him from the ground with the force of his hug.

 

 Swatting Jared over the head as he was dropped back to the ground, Jeffery Dean Morgan growled at him, but Jared only grinned wider as he said “I thought you couldn’t make it!”

 

Jeff grinned and flung an arm around Jensen’s shoulders. “And miss my boy’s bash? Not a chance!”

 

That was it for mingling for quite awhile as the three men sat back and caught up with each other, enjoying the resurrection of that familial connection they had shared.

 

*****

 

Jared was at the bar getting them all drinks (Jared’s alcohol-free at this point), when Chris reappeared on the stage after a set from Jason.

 

“Right, ladies and gents, before Steve and I resume the entertainment, there’s someone here who would like to say a few words. Donna, the stage is yours.”

 

Jared smiled widely as Donna took to the mike, fidgeting where he stood at the thought of the inevitable embarrassment (however well-intended) she was about to cause Jensen.

 

“Good evening everyone!” Donna started.  “For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Donna Ackles, and I’m Jensen’s mother. I just wanted to say thanks to all y’all for attending, since I know there’s no chance of Jensen coming up here and giving a speech.  It’s such a pleasure to see so many other people who care about my boy; that people beyond family realize how wonderful and special he is. But people have been singing my boys praises all night – and as much as they should, there is someone else who deserves his own personal thank you. You’re all here tonight because of one young man, who took it upon himself to make sure my boy had a great birthday; including paying for Jensen’s family to come up here to Vancouver for this celebration! He’s been planning this for months, getting all y’all from Supernatural involved, inviting friends from all over. So, I want to say a big thank you to Jared Padalecki for organizing this party, and for being so good to and for my son. So let’s raise our glasses; to Jared!”

 

“To Jared!”

 

Jared had been grinning at the beginning of the speech, revelling in the blush spreading across Jensen’s face. When Donna started talking about Jared though, he began backing away from the table where he’d been sitting with Jensen and Jeff, and away from the stage, feeling a blush of his own deepen as she spoke.

 

He didn’t get very far; Tom and Mike grabbed hold of him, ensuring he wouldn’t be able to sneak away.

 

As the toast was made in his favour, Mike gave him a push towards the stage and shouted “Speech!”

Donna spotted the young man and gestured him up. Catching him backing away, Chris took the mike from her, and said, “Thanks, Donna. Now, since we’re already talking about him, Jared actually has something he wants to say, so Jared, get on up here.”

 

Beet red and glaring at Chris, Jared took a deep breath and clambered onto the stage to a round of applause. Deciding to embrace the moment, Jared grinned out at everyone, spreading his arms and taking a deep bow. Gesturing to take the mike from Chris, Chris moved towards him –at which point Jared threw out an obscenely long arm and grabbed him in a headlock, ruffling up his hair in a way he knew Chris hated. Pursing his lips in the facsimile of a kiss at Chris as he pushed Jared away only increased the laughter Jared had already sparked in the audience. Chris shoved the mike at him and stormed off the stage, running a hand through his hair.

 

Jared was still blushing, but he knew that he had to do this. He took a deep breath, ran a hand over his face as if to get rid of the blush and faced the crowd, and Jensen.

 

“Well, I’m not his Momma, so I’m not up here to tell y’all how wonderful he is. I’m just gonna give you some facts. As we all know, the past couple years haven’t been perfect; what with the strike, and then Kim – god rest him. And I had some personal stuff of my own I was trying to deal with. And I’m sure that I couldn’t have got through all that without Jensen; I know how lucky I am to have him in my life.”

 

Looking out at his audience, Jared realized that he’d got a little maudlin, so he was quick to quip; “But we’re not here for a Jared Pity Party, we’re here to celebrate! Jensen Ackles is one of the best actors I’ve ever had the privilege of working alongside. Jensen is also a genuinely nice guy; along with being funny, and the best roommate, co-worker and friend a guy could ask for.  So, how ‘bout we raise your glasses to the reason all y’all are here – to Jensen.”

 

Jared finally got up the nerve to look Jensen in the face as he finished his speech. Although Jensen was blushing harder than Jared had ever seen him, and trying to hide his face in his palms, Jared could see a smile on his face too; that was enough.

 

“To Jensen!”

 

After everyone had set their glasses down, Jared walked over to the piano. Before he actually sat down, he brought the microphone back up to his mouth. “Now before I get down from here, I have an extra lil gift for Jensen. I’m probably gonna completely humiliate myself, but I’m gonna play a song for him. And no, I won’t be singing along - which I’m sure y’all happy about. I’m sure he’ll be embarrassed as hell, because I’m not supposed to tell anyone that it’s one of his favourites, but I hope he likes it. And he better appreciate that I’m playing in public for the first time in about 10 years!”

 

Taking a seat at the piano, Jared sought out the gaze of the guest of honour. In the surprised silence, despite his no longer having the microphone, his “Happy birthday, Jen” was heard clear as day.

 

Now that the moment he’d been (somewhat) dreading for so long had come, Jared focused all of his attention on the sheet music before him. He didn’t really need it; he’d been practicing so much that he was sure he could play the damn song in his sleep, but he knew he would need something to keep his attention on the piano rather than on Jensen.

 

Focusing on the pages before him, Jared picked his way through the reasonably complex introduction, gaining confidence with every note.  As he played the first few bars, he realized he was no longer playing alone; there was a guitar accompanying him. Looking up, he saw Steve strumming along as Chris leaned on the mike stand in the middle of the stage. Both men grinned at him, and Chris winked, before opening his mouth and giving a voice to Jared’s music.

 

Jared smiled broadly at the men onstage with him; his nervousness immediately lessening.  He put his heart and soul into the song, wanting to play better than he ever had before, just for Jensen.

 

As he played, he chanced the odd glance at Jensen, trying to work out if he liked his surprise. Although Jensen was still sitting at the table where Jared had left him, from where Jared was sitting the stage lighting masked Jensen’s expression.

The fact that Chris was actually singing meant that Jared had no option but to pay attention to the words. When he’d been learning the piece, Jared had focused on the music; the fact that Jensen liked the song had been enough for him. But as he played, listening to Steve’s accompaniment and Chris’ deep Texas baritone, the lyrics started to make him blush. Just because they were accurate with regard to his feelings for Jensen didn’t mean that he’d intended to make some sort of disclosure; all he’d wanted to do was surprise his friend!

As the instrumental in the middle of the song started, Jared chanced another glance at Jensen - only to find he was no longer there. Jared faltered on the piano; Steve quickly picking up on it and carrying the tune on his guitar in an attempt to cover Jared’s mistake. Jared scanned the room for Jensen, his shoulders slumping as he realized he was no longer in the room. He’d obviously guessed Jared’s feelings from the song, and didn’t return them.

 

Jared turned his attention back to the music, keeping his eyes on his hands and trying to get it over with and get out as quickly as possible. With his head down, his bangs fell over his face; hiding his broken-hearted expression and glazed eyes. Bashing out the remainder of the instrumental powerfully, he kept his head down in an attempt to avoid anyone noticing the hurt so clear on his face.

 

Jared was so focused on finishing the song and getting off the stage that he didn’t immediately notice that when the singing resumed, it was no longer Chris on the mike. Only as the verse was coming to a close did Jared realize that he was actually hearing his favourite sound: his best friend singing.

_But you ain't seen nothing like me yet_

 

Jared looked up hesitantly, and his eyes met Jensen’s. Jensen was standing there with the mike in his hand, still blushing, but with a look of pure happiness on his face as he sang the words right to Jared.

 

Jared didn’t know how he was continuing to play the song, the sight of Jensen before him shocking him so much. But he’d never seen Jensen look so happy, and as he listened to the words Jensen was singing, words modified ever so slightly to fit the situation, Jared’s smile reappeared on his face.

 

Jensen sat beside him on the bench as he sang the last few lines, and Jared let the piano fade out and Steve’s guitar finish the accompaniment as Jensen placed a hand on Jared’s shoulder and squeezed slightly, leaving his hand there as the song came to a close.

 

_To make you feel my love_

 

Jared blushed as their eyes met, and Jensen chuckled.

 

“Jared, thatwas...that was amazing.”

 

“I didn’t mean to tell you – I mean, it was just supposed to be a song.”

 

Jensen blinked, and took his hand away. Jared realised Jensen had taken his shocked response completely the wrong way, so he grabbed Jensen’s hand back and tugged; slamming Jensen into him and making both of them fall off the piano stool with a thud. Jared ‘oompfed’ as Jensen landed right on top of him, but immediately brought his arms around him so Jensen couldn’t run.

 

“Jen, I didn’t mean it like that,” he said quickly. “I never meant to tell you like this, but I do...I do feel like that. About you. I just didn’t wanna lose you, and I didn’t think you felt like that about...me.”

 

Jensen simply shook his head at their mutual obliviousness. “You could never lose me, and you’re probably the only person here who hadn’t realized how I feel.”

 

Jared tightened his arms around Jensen and looked directly into his eyes. “So you’re not mad?”

 

Jensen looked down at the man who meant so much to him and allowed the love he felt to shine out. Brushing the bangs from Jared’s eyes, Jensen leaned down and whispered: “Does this answer your question?”

 

Then he pressed his lips to Jared’s.

 

The applause, whistling and catcalling from their friends and family finally cut through to the men, and they parted, Jensen burying his face in Jared’s neck as Jared sat them both up. Rubbing a hand soothingly down Jensen’s back as the blush travelled up Jensen’s neck, Jared couldn’t hide his happiness at the outcome, despite the embarrassment.

 

As they stood, Jared allowed Jensen to continue to hide his face in Jared’s chest, simply wrapping his arms around the other man. Beaming broadly at the two men still onstage with them, Jared accepted the microphone from Chris, and addressed the crowd.

 

“I’m sure all y’all can tell that I’m probably the happiest man in the world right now. You might also be thinking that was a long time coming; well, I’m just happy that it came at all! So thank you for your support; we both appreciate it, but we literally _just_ got together, and this is meant to be a fun night for Jensen, not an excuse to embarrass him to death, so please leave the abuse till tomorrow, and let’s enjoy the rest of the night, okay?”

 

Chris took the mike back without flourish. “So, before we get back to this party, I think we should all raise a glass to the happy couple. To Jared and Jensen!”

 

“Jared and Jensen!”

 

“Now if you don’t want us to start makin’ fun, get off the goddamn stage so we can play another song!”

 

Laughing, the two men left the stage and returned to their table, accepting hearty congratulations from Jeff, along with the possibly more appreciated and certainly much-needed beers.

 

It took a few beers...and a few shots, for Jensen to relax and start enjoying himself again. Once he’d relaxed, though, he leaned into Jared’s ever-ready embrace and stayed there for rest of the night. Although there were no more overt displays of affection, both men were aware that their usual rapport was different; when they were still for any length of time, Jared would wrap his arms around Jensen from behind, Jensen immediately leaning back into the embrace.

 

Although as requested, the guests didn’t tease them, several took photos of such scenes of affection for future mocking purposes, and some of the girls took them for ‘aww-worthiness’.

 

*****

 

The night was finally drawing to a close; which Jensen in particular was over the moon about. Not that he hadn’t appreciated all the trouble Jared had gone to for him, but between all the attention and the wonderful and yet incredibly embarrassing onstage revelation, Jensen would be glad to get home. 

 

Jensen leaned against the bar, his and Jared’s jackets on the stool beside him. He was a little drunk, and more than a little tired. He felt overdosed on talking to people, and of generally being the centre of attention.

 

He looked around at the few people remaining in the bar: his parents, his and Jared’s sisters, and Chris and Steve.  Then he returned his focus to where it wanted to be: Jared.

 

As if he could feel his gaze, Jared looked up from his conversation with their sisters and smiled at Jensen. Noticing his lack of attention, the two girls followed his gaze and laughed softly.

 

Patting his arm, his sister told him, “Go home JT. We’ll see you tomorrow,” before pushing him in Jensen’s direction.

 

The push caused Jared to trip over his own feet, and the sight of Jared flailing his way towards him caused Jensen to chuckle heartily, making Jared grin broadly at the sound. Once Jared straightened up and made it the rest of the way across the room to Jensen (without stumbling again), Jared caught his less than sober friend off-balance as he pulled Jensen into his arms, allowing Jensen to muffle his remaining laughs in Jared’s chest as Jared wrapped his arms around him.

 

Once Jensen had stopped chuckling (more a tipsy giggle really) he pulled back enough so he could look up at the taller man still embracing him. Smiling softly, he asked simply, “Home?”

 

Jared smiled down at him equally sappily, stroking a hand down Jensen’s neck as he replied in the affirmative. He held out Jensen’s coat for him, before flinging his own over his arm. Turning back to the few people still remaining, he said his goodnights; Jensen yawning as he nodded in agreement.

 

They were almost at the door when Chris yelled out; “Have a good one! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

 

Jared could feel the blush making its way across the back of his neck and up to his ears. But Jensen was obviously more awake than he had thought (and possibly a bit more drunk, given his response), because he unerringly turned towards Chris with a smirk, and said; “That doesn’t leave much Kane, but I’m telling you, anything I do with Jay is gonna be something you will _never_ do with Jay. Coz I would _beat_ your ass!”

 

At that, Jensen once again yawned widely, before tugging on Jared’s hand and leading the slack-jawed giant out of the bar, to the sound of (after a moments shocked silence) Chris’ barking laughter, echoed by Steve’s more sedate chuckles.

 

*****

 

Jared couldn’t help but laugh as he roused Jensen and got him into the house; enjoying the feeling of Jensen leaning into him as they walked up the drive; a feeling he was accustomed to, but that nevertheless felt somehow different in light of the night’s earlier revelations.

 

The two men were in the kitchen, each with a large glass of water (although Jared had only had a few beers the whole night and didn’t need sobering up at all), Jensen seated at the table, and Jared leaning against the counter.

 

Jensen just sat there, his head resting on one hand as he looked sleepily at Jared, watching the movement of his throat as Jared finished his glass and poured himself another.

 

Jared smiled at the look Jensen was too sleepy to hide, and took a gulp of his fresh glass before asking; “Was tonight okay Jensen? I mean, I know you don’t really like being the centre of attention and everything, and I wasn’t expecting what happened to happen – not that I’m not happy that it did, but I just...”

 

Jensen cut him off, putting his own glass down and walking over to the taller man. Standing before him, he placed a finger over Jared’s lips for a moment to stop his babble; his hands automatically drifting to rest over Jared’s heart as he spoke.

 

“Jared, tonight was the last thing either of us expected, but as far as I am aware, both of us are happy with the outcome, right?”

 

Jared nodded fervently; wrapping his arms around Jensen without even registering he was doing so as he replied “Definitely happy”.

 

Jensen smiled at Jared’s impassioned and immediate response, his hands moving from their standard resting place over Jared’s heart to creep around Jared’s neck. Yawning as he echoed Jared’s nods, Jensen rested his head on Jared’s shoulder. “Then tonight was awesome Jay, awesome.”

 

Jared smiled widely at Jensen’s response, and tightened his arms around his best friend as he relaxed into the embrace. For several moments they simply stood there in the kitchen, both enjoying being in the others arms; knowing that it meant more than any previous embrace. However, this didn’t last long, as Jared registered the sound of his babies at the door, wanting to be let back in.

 

Pressing a kiss to Jensen’s forehead, he loosened his arms as he said, “I don’t wanna move, but my babies are gonna start barking in a minute if I don’t let them in.”

 

Jensen grumbled, nuzzling into Jared’s neck for a moment before loosening his arms and stepping back with another wide yawn. He patted Jared’s chest and gestured at the door where the dogs were waiting. “G’on then, before the neighbours have reason to complain.”

 

When Jared returned with the dogs at his heels, Jensen had migrated to the sofa, blinking sleepily down at a CD in his hands. Pushing the dogs away from Jensen and towards their own beds, Jared plopped down on the sofa beside him, throwing an arm around Jensen and pulling him to his side as he inquired, “So what’s that Jen?”

 

Jensen leaned back into Jared as he turned the CD in his hand. He was quiet for a few minutes as he simply turned the CD, yawning again before turning it over so Jared could see his name scrawled on the disc. “S’what I recorded today. I was a bit apprehensive about letting you listen to it – thought it might reveal a bit too much. Kinda ironic really.”

 

Taking the disc that was now being held out to him, Jared held it reverently for a moment.

 

“Can I?-“ he gestured toward the CD player.

 

Blushing at the very idea of Jared listening to him singing, Jensen nodded nevertheless. “Track 9 Jay. You’ll see what I mean about ironic.”

 

Jared was bouncing slightly as he set up the player, as there was nothing he enjoyed hearing more than Jensen singing.

 

As soon as he had the CD to the track Jensen requested, he immediately turned to return to his spot on the sofa. However, he had barely taken two steps before he heard Jensen picking out the introduction on his guitar; and froze as he recognised the tune.

 

Looking at Jensen, he watched the face of his shy friend; who took a moment to meet his eyes due to his embarrassment. When their eyes did meet, Jensen’s rising blush deepened.

 

Jared smiled (somewhat sappily) at him for a moment as he listened to Jensen perform the song he had spent months learning for him. Irony indeed.

 

He then finished his walk over to the sofa; but rather than sitting back down, he held his hand out to Jensen. He accepted the hand automatically, allowing Jared to pull him up and into his arms; but nevertheless with a question in his eyes.

 

Sure his actions would answer the question, Jared tugged Jensen into his embrace and placed Jensen’s arms on his shoulders before wrapping his own around Jensen’s waist and starting to sway them to the beat.

 

“They’re playing our song Jen”

 

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Jensen simply snuggled into Jared’s arms and moved his arms round Jared’s neck, hands in his hair, and once again rested his head on Jared’s shoulder as they swayed.

 

By the time the song finished, Jensen was practically asleep in Jared’s arms.

 

Jared pulled away slightly and placed a hand on each of Jensen’s cheeks in order to press a kiss to Jensen’s forehead. “That was beautiful Jensen. I love you.”

 

It was the first time either of them had actually clearly stated their feelings, and Jared thought Jensen might be too sleepy to hear him, but he was also the tiniest bit worried that he might freak out. However, Jared need not be worried about either such reaction, as Jensen’s response was to smile sleepily before replying; “Love you too Jay. Sleep now?”

 

Jared yawned at the mention of sleep; an action that was immediately echoed by Jensen, who returned his head to Jared’s shoulder.

 

“Sure Jen. You awake enough to walk, or shall I carry you?”

 

Stepping out of Jared’s embrace, Jensen looked at him in a way that Jared was sure was meant to be a glare, and mumbled through a yawn; “You try carry me Sasquatch, I’mma kick your ass” before tugging Jared in the direction of his room. Jared smiled and wrapped an arm around Jensen as they walked across the living room, ensuring Jensen stayed upright long enough to get into his room.

 

Jensen carried on through his room towards his bathroom without comment, so after a moment, Jared simply said goodnight from the doorway and turned to make his way to his own room. Jensen stuck his head out of the bathroom, bleary eyed as he had already taken out one contact lens; “Where you goin’?”

 

Jared gestured upwards and replied “To bed”.

 

Jensen shook his head decisively. “Nu-huh. Want you to sleep here.”

 

Jared froze for a moment before a truly happy smile bloomed on his face. “Really? Okay then. I’ll just go get changed and brush my teeth. I’ll be back in a minute.”

 

By the time Jared returned, teeth clean and wearing a pair of worn sweats, Jensen was similarly attired, leaning sleepily against the doorframe to his own room. At the question on Jared’s face, Jensen tugged him into the room (for a change not shutting the door incase the dogs wanted Jared) and lead him towards the bed as he explained “Didn’t wanna fall asleep without you.”

 

Once they were settled in Jensen’s bed, cuddled together and snug under the covers with Jensen’s head on Jared’s chest and Jared’s arms around the smaller man, Jensen mumbled sleepily, “Best birthday ever.”

 

*******

 

END

 


End file.
